Green thumbs were on display at the Eden Palms location of the SJB Child Development Center as members of the Earthquakes roster and Front Office put their gardening skills to the test Monday afternoon in honor of Earth Day and National Volunteer Week.

Joey Gjertsen, Brandon McDonald, and Ellis McLoughlin helped cultivate a new garden that was filled with plants chosen by the children at the Child Development Center. The garden was filled with carrots, corn, tomatoes, and other plant life that should harvest over the coming months. For the players, it was a fun chance to give back to the community.

“We’re out here to give back and have some fun,” Gjertsen said. “I worked for two years at a child care center, so I’m really enjoying this. It’s good to be here, especially around Earth Day, to help out and get this garden built.”

The Eden Palms location is one of 14 Child Development Centers operated in the Santa Clara County area. The children at Eden Palms have been learning about Earth Day over the past few weeks, and will continue to water the garden that was produced today as part of their own ongoing Earth Day project.

The San Jose Earthquakes will host an Earth Day Celebration, presented by the County of Santa Clara Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program, on Saturday, April 23 when they face Chivas USA at Buck Shaw Stadium at 1 p.m. PT. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a reusable shopping bag, courtesy of the County of Santa Clara HHW Program. Additionally, the first 5,000 fans will receive an eco-tip guide courtesy of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and flower seed packets will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans, courtesy of the America the Beautiful Fund. Also, select fans will receive a Chinook Book, a book featuring discount offers at local, sustainable and healthy businesses.

The Earthquakes have also teamed up with MLS W.O.R.K.S. to offset the carbon footprint for energy used at the stadium that night. The Renewable Energy Certificates—from 100 percent wind resources—purchased from Portland, Ore.-based Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will counterbalance 100 percent of the electricity used at Buck Shaw Stadium during the day of the game. The carbon dioxide reduction value is the equivalent of more than 6,989 pounds.